Describe the scope of Sociology.

Scope of Sociology:

Scope means the subject matter or the areas of study or the boundaries of a subject. What we have to study in a particular subject is known as its scope. Every science has its own field of inquiry. It becomes difficult to study a science systematically unless its boundary or scope is determined precisely. Sociology as a social science has its own scope or boundaries. But there is no one opinion about the scope of Sociology. However, there are two main schools of thought regarding the scope of Sociology:

(i) The Specialist or Formalistic school and

(ii) The Synthetic school

There is a good deal of controversy about the scope of Sociology between the two schools.

(i) Specialist school:

The supporters of this school of thought are George Simmer, Vierkandt, Max Weber, Von Wiese, Small and F. Tonnies. They believe that Sociology is a specific, pure and independent science and thus its scope should be limited. The main views of the school regarding the scope of Sociology are -  

·    Scope of Sociology is very narrow and limited. It need not study all the events connected with social science.

·    Sociology studies the social relationships Furthermore only forms of social relationships are to be studied and not its content.

·    Sociology also focuses on the mental and psychic relationship which links men together in society.

·    Aim of sociology is to interpret and understand social behavior.

(ii) Synthetic school: The supporters of synthetic school are the sociologists like Durkheim, Ginsberg, Comte, Sorokin, Spencer, F. Ward, and LT. Hobhouse. According to this School Sociology is closely related with other social sciences. it is a synthesis of social sciences. Thus its scope is very vast. According to this school Sociology should deal with following areas of study:

·    Social Morphology: Deals with population (social structure, social groups and institutions)

·    Social Control: Deals with formal and informal means of social control such as customs, traditions, morals, religion, law, court etc.

·    Social Process: Different modes of social interaction (conflict, cooperation, isolation, integration etc.

·    Social Pathology: Social mal-adjustment and social problems like poverty, beggary, unemployment, overpopulation etc.

·    General Sociology: Philosophical part of sociology. Its function is formulation of general social laws.